What Their Riches Will Do (James 5:1-4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

                                                                                                            Date:  11-05-03

 

My Worship Time                 Focus:  What Their Riches Will Do

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  James 5:1-4

 

            1.  Message of the verse:  “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.  Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.  Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!  Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.”

            The consequences of misusing riches:

1.      Riches will vanish (5:2-3a).  “Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.  Your gold and your silver have rusted.” It is foolish to depend upon riches because riches are uncertain, life is so very brief, and we cannot take wealth with us.  The Bible does say that we can send it on ahead.  1Timothy 6:17 “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.”  The Bible does not say that money is evil, for as stated before money is neutral, however the Bible does say that the love of money is the root for all kinds of evil and this is what James is speaking about in this section.

2.      Misused riches erode character (5:3).  “Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.”  The peoples New Testament give this note describing this verse:  “Your gold and silver are cankered. Rusted from disuse. These metals do not literally rust, but do tarnish from long disuse. The idea is that they show they have been hoarded, not used.

A witness against you: The tarnish shows that you have hoarded instead of using.

Shall eat your flesh. They shall punish you, as though heated by fire and eating into your flesh. This hoarded wealth will curse the possessor.

 Ye have heaped ... last days. Instead of laying up treasure in heaven you have continued to pile up earthly treasure to the last, a matter of extreme folly. What James then thought of as "the last days," the end of his nation, country and Jerusalem, was close at hand. “  Read quote on pg. 149 that starts out with Abraham.

3.      Judgment is a certainty (5:3,5).  “Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.  You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.”  There will be a present judgment and also a future judgment for these rich.  God will call a number of wittiness against the rich:

a.      The rich mans wealth (5:3).  They horded all of their money and did not use it for the Lord’s work and now it will be used for judgment against them.

b.      The wages they held back (4:3).  Money talks and this money that they held back from these poor people will cry out to God just like Abel’s blood cried out to God.

c.       The workers will also testify against them (5:4).  God is the Judge who will bring judgment against them and they will not be able to bribe Him.  Note that there will be a “Great White Throne Judgment” that is described in Rev. 20:11-15, and this will be for those who are lost.  There will also be the “Judgment Seat of Christ,” and this will be for those who have trusted Christ as their Lord and Saviour.  This will not be a judgment against sin, as in the “Great White Throne” judgment, for Jesus Christ has already cared for the sin issue at the cross.  The believers will be judged for their works and their ministry.  If we as believers are faithful in serving the Lord then we will get a reward, however the unfaithful believer will loose his reward.  See 1Corthians 3:1-15 and I think that the parable of the talents also speaks to this issue.

d.      The loss of a precious opportunity (5:3).  As I have referred to on different occasions in this study, it seems to fit here too, and that is what Rick Warren spoke about in the “Purpose Driven Life” book about what this life on earth is really about.  He says that this is just a warm up lap compared to eternity, but on this warm up lap we as believers need to remember that what we do down here on earth will determine what we will do in eternity.  We must keep our focus on the fact that this world is not our home, for we are just passing through, and while we are passing through we need to remember that we own nothing, but are stewards of what God has given to us, so we need to be wise stewards.  We need to remember, “it is good to have the things that money can buy, provided you also have the things that money cannot buy.”  It is also good to remember that “what we keep, we lose.  What we give to God, we keep, and He adds interest to it.” “ Yes money talks.  What will it say to you at the last judgment.”   

 

2.      Spiritual meaning for my life today:  After reading these verses on money and also the chapter “Money Talks” form “Be Mature,” it seems that the Lord is doing a work in my life bringing into perspective these things that have to do with my investments with Andrew Leck.  It seems to me that Andrew Lech is being described in these verses of James, and it also seems to me that if he does not do what is right that God will judge him either while on this earth or maybe even take him home early if he does not repent of what he is doing wrong, and then he will be judged in heaven the way 1Cor. 3:1-15 describe.  My prayer is that The Holy Spirit will convict him of this sin and will again be able to use him for His service.  My prayer for my self is that God will convict me of the wrong principles that were followed here and will cause me to never forget them and if by His grace, He allows me to get the investment back that I will use it to bring honor and glory to Him.

 

The Word of God did bring a challenge and conviction to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  As I have given all things back to the Lord, including the investment, I pray that I will trust Him to do what is good and right concerning all of these things.  I trust the Lord because He is Holy and can never do anything wrong, and as Romans 8:28 tells me, that God cause all things to work together for good for those who love Him and those who are called according to His purpose.

Memory verse for the week:  James 1:6

 

      6.  But let him ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.